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GOP Struggles To Reinvent Itself

But ya are, Blanche! Ya are dog food! posted 05/18/2008 at 14:02:30

New Bin Laden Message To Be Issued Soon: Report

There is no such thing as Osama Bin Laden. He probably died many years ago. He is the bogie man under your bed. Turn on the lights and you won'd be afraid. posted 05/18/2008 at 10:01:58

If Not Hillary, Who Will Be The First Female President?

"Who will be the first female president" is a horrible question, suited to the vile cable news channels but not to serious people. We shouldn't be looking to elect a girl just because the girls haven't had a turn yet. The prize should be more substantial than first (fill in the blank) president. We want an inspirational leader with wisdom and integrity. Sorry, Hillary. And if the best we have is the likes of Rice, Hutchinson or Feinstein, it won't be happening any time soon. posted 05/18/2008 at 10:15:15

Nancy Pelosi Visits Iraq

I lost respect for Nancy Pelosi when I saw her whole-heartedly endorsing Bush's "stimulus" $600 give-away. That, and having taken impeachment off the table - the modern equivalent of Gerald Ford pardoning Nixon. posted 05/18/2008 at 14:05:25

Oprah's Favorite Things For Summer: The Over-The-Top Crowd Reaction

Just as disgusting as the audience's orgasms was when Oprah brought out Donald Trump for a big fake "I love Mar-a-Lago's turkey burger!" in a very long segment that looked a lot like an ad for the Trump brand. Our phony turkey-bologna Oprah had hugs and kisses for the man who, when needled by Rosie O'Donnell, promptly went on TV, not to challenge what she said, but to call her fat and ugly. Not very Oprah-ish, yet he seemed a good match for the ugly consumerism orgy of today's Oprah show. posted 05/16/2008 at 22:49:31

Obama Responds To Bush, McCain Appeasement Attack

Great speech, as always. Obama's growing on me. I like him, but I wish he'd lose the affected regional/working-class manner of speech, saying "countreh" for country, and so on. People should be proud that the Democratic nominee is an educated, articulate man (after 8 years, we've had dumb and inarticulate up to here) and don't require him to pander in that way. posted 05/16/2008 at 16:36:29

Chris Matthews Eviscerates Right-Wing Host Kevin James Over Obama "Appeasement" Claims

Since when does Matthews act aggressively toward a lunatic conservative? The guy must not have genuflected and kissed the ring. The only possible explanation. posted 05/15/2008 at 20:07:27

Swift Boating Comes to Jerusalem

We really should come to an agreement on the meaning of "swift boating." The way I understand it it's not conventional smearing. As was done to Kerry, you challenge your opponent on his strongest claim to glory and honor (e.g. military achievements) and craft a lie that contradicts his life story. Pay "witnesses" to back up the lie. Replay the lie endlessly on Fox and CNN, and then Brian Williams legitimizes the lie by reporting it as news.

Comparing Obama to a Nazi appeaser is a laughably idiotic smear, but not really swift boating. posted 05/15/2008 at 23:09:54

Gwyneth Paltrow On Madonna, Her Macrobiotic Diet And Her Vices

That thing in the bottom photo looks like it was designed by Christian from Project Runway. posted 05/15/2008 at 18:00:30

McCain Predicts The Iraq War Will Be "Won" By 2013

Hey, the Republicans are talking about a timeline for Iraq! posted 05/15/2008 at 18:32:36

Tennessee GOP Attacks Michelle Obama, Obama Camp Hits Back

This is going to be so much fun, watching the Republican meatheads go after lovely Michelle Obama. posted 05/15/2008 at 16:37:32

Gay Marriage Ban Overturned By California Supreme Court

Congratulations to California. So, what's next? Here in Massachusetts, the state's Supreme Court ruled that, constitutionally, gay people cannot be denied marriage rights. That's when the hard part started. Conservative groups, led by Governor Mitt Romney, tried to get the legislature to amend the constitution to ban same-sex marriage. Swarms of anti-gay conservative locusts descended on Massachusetts to collect signatures to get an amendment on the ballot in the next election. It was a tough, tense fight but in the end the legislature blocked it. Gay people can marry and the world still turns. Is a proposed constitutional amendment in California's future? I hope their legislature has the guts to do the right thing as they did in Massachusetts. posted 05/15/2008 at 14:27:20

Jane Pauley On Katie Couric: "It Was A Brave Experiment"

Pauley's appraisal of the Couric debacle is diplomatic, but all wrong. If Couric had gone to CBS and done a serious news report she'd have succeeded. She failed because she and CBS scrapped the evening news and replaced it with a woman's magazine. In other words, CBS used her EXACT skills and talents. Problem was, they didn't belong on a news program. posted 05/15/2008 at 18:06:34

In New Orleans, the Road Home Adds a New Bump

The Bush administration purposefully gelded FEMA so there would be no federal gubmint response to any disaster, including the devastation of New Orleans when the federal levies broke. "Nagin's a jerk too" is the junior-highish Fox response. Always deflecting responsibility from our irresponsible, immature, dangerously inept president. posted 05/15/2008 at 07:07:43

Kelsey Grammer Shocked As Show Kicked Off Fox

Nope. I just take note of the ones who make an effort to rub our noses in their despicable politics. I thought Patricia Heaton's making political ads denouncing Michael J. Fox's appeal for stem cell research was weird. She invited us to hate her, and I'm glad to oblige. The less said about Mel Gibson the better. posted 05/14/2008 at 14:38:42
I used to think Kelsey Grammer was very funny. A good actor. Seeing him paired with Miss No-Stem-Cells-For-You and I see Bush, torture, fear, superstition, mission accomplished, New Orleans under water, all the horrors brought to us by Bush's supporters. Banish them to the corn field with Mel Gibson, Dennis Miller and Tom Selleck. posted 05/14/2008 at 14:07:06

Pentagon "Media Analysts" Appeared On Major Networks Or Were Quoted More Than 4,500

Even a quasi/ once-respectable outfit like NPR isn't going to question whether or not santa claus is real. They don't want the guy to stop bringing them presents. Be skeptical. Read foreign news. posted 05/13/2008 at 14:45:07

"ER" Starts Countdown To Series' Flatline

To count down to ER's flatline you'd have to count backward. About five years ought to do it. posted 05/13/2008 at 14:44:23

Sue Simmons (Video): New York NBC Anchor Screams "What The F*** Are You Doing?" In On-Air Promo

You left out the best part. What the fuck was he doing? posted 05/13/2008 at 10:45:08

China Earthquake, Florida Fires, US Tornadoes, Burma Cyclone Ravage The Angry Earth

Don't anthropomorphize. The Earth is not angry. Zeus is not throwing thunderbolts, either. Stick with science. posted 05/12/2008 at 21:41:29

Sarah Jessica Parker Wears Plant Hat To London "Sex And The City" Premiere (PHOTOS)

The hat isn't even the most hideous thing in the picture. That neckline on Cynthia Nixon's dress is ugly. Can't wait to see more of her emasculating Steve in Sex and the City. posted 05/12/2008 at 21:51:05

Hillary's Gift to Women

Hillary was done in by her acting like she thinks a man would act. When women try this they tend to mimic a burlesque of a man's temperament. It's usually the most loathsome man they can imagine. Girls think the people love loathsome men. Go figure. It can be very funny except when lives are on the line, as they were when Hillary voted to invade Iraq - because that's what the caricature of a man in her brain would have done. We want a strong, honorable person - not someone who's good at acting like a strong, honorable person. posted 05/13/2008 at 10:58:00

Clinton Mentor: Hillary Failed To Master Female Approach

What a flake. Are all Democratic advisors such flakes? Here's a news flash for the Democratic strategists: people like candidates who are true to themselves, who compromise on some things while having core convictions that are inviolable. We like real. We hate wobbly women who act strong, but we love strong women. Likewise, we hate hard-ass hard-driving men who act compassionate, but we like men who really are compassionate. John McCain's breathy, "my friends" measured words sound to me like he's white-knuckling it till the election is over and he can rip everyone a new one.

We hate politicians who run on one set of principals for the primary and another opposite set of principals for the general election. We laugh when they prematurely drop the primary strategy and make an early reach for the yahoos. These are the reasons we hate Hillary. posted 05/12/2008 at 14:25:02

Jenna Bush Wedding Pictures

I wish for George Bush's family all the joy and serenity he has given the world. posted 05/11/2008 at 17:12:47

McCain Flips On Abortion: Won't Challenge Party On Rape, Incest Exceptions

Rape and incest exceptions betray the dishonesty of some opposition to legal abortion. If a little glob of cells has a soul and must be protected, then wouldn't it have a soul even when the sex was unwelcome or unpleasant? Rape/incest exceptions tell us that what they're really opposed to is sex for pleasure without consequences. Don't fear sex. Educate about sex and birth control, and discourage abortion if you like, but keep abortion safe and legal. Vote Democratic. posted 05/10/2008 at 20:39:15

The Military Analyst Scandal Dies -- Even on NPR?

NPR is like cable news, but with its whiny, supercilious voices it seems smart and serious. Nobody sees two valid sides to EVERY story like NPR. It's been enraptured with the invasion of Iraq from the beginning. They even outdo NBC on stories about what it feels like to be a reporter facing mortal danger on a balcony in Iraq, but they way they deliver it it kinda sounds like news. Real stories about the situation in Iraq? Not so much. Embedded, co-opted, on the payroll, it's all the same.

The news isn't really news, so why should we expect the analysis to be any different? My house is a no-cable-news zone. I highly recommend it. For one thing, I've never been duped by a lying retired general. posted 05/09/2008 at 07:13:56

America's Favorite

Cindy says no; Teresa said no before she said yes. Bush wouldn't discuss his alcoholism or drug addiction or shirking of military service or arrest record or lifetime of failures; Bill Clinton disclosed every detail of his life including his underwear preference. It's interesting that people respect the f-you attitude, but only from the Right. The Clintons weren't allowed to dodge ANYTHING during the fake "investigations" of Clinton's presidency. They didn't have the guts to say no and and mean it. If Hillary Clinton had had the courage to flip them off and voted honorably against the invasion of iraq, she'd be the nominee today. posted 05/10/2008 at 12:29:20

Barbara Walters Takes The High Road In Star Jones' War Of Words

Her book has me thinking. Barbara Walters has never been a "newswoman." She was a Today Show host, which is a happy-talk show with news segments. Like Katie, Walters was made an anchorwoman based on her morning popularity, and Harry Reasoner was wise enough to see the writing on the wall: the news was on its way out, being supplanted by happy-talk personality-oriented programming posing as news, exemplified by Barbara Walters. She made her name charming world leaders in interviews and making celebrities cry. All fluff and insignificance. Just like The View. There's no there there. posted 05/09/2008 at 08:44:02

Study: "Daily Show" Very Similar To "O'Reilly Factor"

Republicans are forever pointing at some popular person on the Left and contriving a tortured explanation of why the (good) person on the Left is equivalent to a (bad) person on the right. And is there a more revolting image than "journalism think tank." Is James Guckert one of its thinkers? Suffice it to say that The Daily Show and the O'Reilly Show couldn't be more dissimilar. They are exact opposites. But how could we expect journalists to perceive this when they couldn't even spot the prostitute/fake journalist sitting next to them in the press room.

FYI you journalism brain trust: O'Reilly's show isn't a news show. It's a commentary show. The Daily Show isn't a news show either. It's a comedy show that specializes in political satire. Journalism think tank. What a hoot! posted 05/08/2008 at 18:40:34

Toobin: A McCain Court Could Overturn Roe In "Maybe A Year"

The Court is corrupt. They're there to look out for business interests and Republican interests, and as a means for Thomas and Scalia to take out their pathological resentments on the world by doing as much harm as possible. If the conservatives on the court weren't corrupt, then they'd have to find in some cases that the Constitution favors the other side. That will never happen with these criminals. Abortion rights are the tip of the iceberg. More conservative justices will mean the end of our society. posted 05/12/2008 at 21:25:54

CBS Affiliate Censors Tony Awards Coverage, Blocks Song Called "We Just Had Sex"

Hooray for CBS. It's swell to have coarse adult themes in the theater, but not on a TV awards show. There are lots of natural impulses and body functions that are fine in the appropriate context but scuzzy when put on TV in the early evening. posted 05/08/2008 at 08:34:34

Elisabeth Hasselbeck Shows Off New Body On Cover Of Fitness

Hasselbeck doesn't make mistakes. She says what she intends to say, that is, what her producer/puppet-master is whispering into her earpiece. Willful Republican stupidity coming from a young, pretty, rich, privileged person is particularly vile. Her statements are stupid, ignorant and sad, but strictly speaking, they aren't mistakes. She intends to be that narrow-minded and thoughtless. posted 05/08/2008 at 08:26:33

What's an Elitist Anyway?

In America, only an elitist would go to a dictionary to find the definition of "elitist." Showin' off your book learnin' by finding an answer in a book is way out of bounds in America. But you CAN eat arugula and not be an elitist. For example, Bush is staggeringly wealthy, the umpteenth generation of Yankee aristocrats, educated at Andover, Yale and Harvard, but he evades the "elitist" label by talking about his fake ranch, pretending to speak like he's uneducated, walking with his arms sticking straight out like he's been unloading cargo all morning, droppin' con-snints off thuh ends 'a words, and talking about Jeebus all the time.

Elitism isn't something you do. To be elitist requires an equal and opposite reaction of indignation at the elitist's failure to pander. You can act below your raisin' like George Bush, but never at or above your raisin.' The American dream - red state version - is to feel superior by having your children do worse than you did. posted 05/12/2008 at 10:25:51

Star Jones Slams Barbara Walters As An "Adulterer" In The "Sunset Of Her Life;" Barbara "Will Not Dignify" Comment With Response

Star Jones is right. An icon can sell a book without all this trash. Barbara Walters wants to be the respected newswoman AND the high society dame AND the girl-talky talk show host, but worlds collide. Witness the Donald Trump incident. The lesson is, if Barbara Walters says she loves you, call 911; you're about to take a knife between the ribs. Best frenemies forever. posted 05/07/2008 at 13:32:38

Paulson: The Worst Is Behind Us

The Republicans have gone far on their Potemkin Village strategy. Say the economy is healthy and getting healthier and everyone will believe it; build a giant mall ln Baghdad so people can see with their own eyes that Baghdad is a happy place; walk through an Iraqi market under intense military protection, but keep the cameras up close and call it a stroll through a cheerful market. It's all fake. Everything about the Bush administration and its greedy Republican Congress enablers is fake. posted 05/07/2008 at 11:01:55

Chris Matthews Admits: MSNBC Bosses Were "Basically Pro-War"

Oh, I get it. Matthews is really a good German. It was his Nazi bosses who make him be a douchbag. So after Obama's elected and Democrats have the power, we're supposed to take Matthews back into the fold of civilized society. I say send him to the corn field with Russert. And send his lame little dry-erase board with him. posted 05/07/2008 at 19:52:01

McCain Woos Conservatives With Promises On Judges

As Tim Russert could tell you, Americans don't care about the Court, the Constitution or their rights, so drop it. Nine Alitos or Scalias or Thomases or Robertses to impose their facist pro-business anti-individual "interpretations" of the Constitution toward the destruction of American society are not important. Torture isn't punishment, don't you know. Besides, American Idol's on! There's outrage that someone sang a song with Jeebus's name in it. Grab a torch and take to the streets. Judas was an elitist! Praise Jeebus! Rally 'round the flag pin. posted 05/06/2008 at 14:55:25

Fox Anchor Jodi Applegate Set To Announce Shocking Family Secret ON AIR

I remember when Jodi Applegate looked and spoke like a real person. She was very appealing. Was she snatched and replaced with a Fox newsbot? Looks like it. Complete with an icky personal story to exploit. posted 05/06/2008 at 13:03:17

Bernanke urges more action to stem home foreclosure crisis

This morning that twit Matt Lauer referred to this as a "housing crisis." Not a crisis of deregulation, corrupt banking practices, Republican greed or consumer exploitation, mind you. "Housing crisis" is meant to imply that there's not enough houses, or it's a problem of poverty, i.e., self-inflicted troubles. It's a steady drip of distortions and lies from the Republican apologists at The Toady Show. posted 05/06/2008 at 09:05:35

Barack Obama Slips Up, Calls Matt Lauer "Tim" (VIDEO)

It's a great insult to call Matt "Tim;" it's also a great insult to call Tim "Matt." In our house we call each of them the crudest, most vulgar names, but none is as foul or insulting as Tim and Matt. posted 05/07/2008 at 08:23:57

Bill: "I Didn't Come Here To Ask You To Vote For My Wife"

Gee, had they been planning a homasekshul parade in Rangoon? Must've been. posted 05/05/2008 at 15:43:57

US-backed plan sees shiny future for Green Zone in Iraq

It takes a Potemkin village. posted 05/04/2008 at 22:04:34

Howard Dean On Fox News Sunday: Your Coverage Is "Shockingly Biased" (VIDEO)

Calling Fox News shockingly biased sounds shockingly naive and ignorant. It's like calling a conservative church shockingly religious. That's why it exists. Fox News is the ministry of Republican and corporate propaganda. If Howard Dean, Obama, or Clinton don't know that, they're shockingly stupid. posted 05/04/2008 at 10:51:57

New Photos Reveal Horror Of Hiroshima (GRAPHIC IMAGES)

These look like pictures of New Orleans in the aftermath of the federal government's levies failing, allowing the city to be destroyed by flood. posted 05/04/2008 at 08:30:35

Upstart Radio Program Looks To Challenge NPR's "Morning Edition"

Some NPR programs are interesting and pleasure to listen to, while others (most) are hosted by people with idiosyncratic speaking styles. Some sound like they're holding their noses to disguise their voices, and there's the one who leans into the mike each time he needs to take a breath, smacks his lips and inhales audibly. Ghastly. Worst are the many newer shows featuring people who sound like bored teenagers, squeezing thin voices through constricted windpipes as they listlessly read their copy. I'll listen to the NPR morning show that sounds least odd. posted 05/03/2008 at 17:54:29

DNC To John McCain: "Stop Whining"

With his rosy cheeks and slicked hair Reagan always looked like he'd just been made-up by the undertaker. McCain looks like the undertaker is due but hasn't arrived yet. posted 05/03/2008 at 08:48:39

Stephen Colbert: Great Boss, Potentially A Republican?

I remember when you could count on a Catholic to be a good person who cared about humanity, even if he were a Republican. Then, you didn't assume that a Catholic or a Republican was necessarily a monster with a murderous heart and soul. The good old days. Maybe Colbert is a dinosaur 60s Catholic, a folk mass loving/liberation theology embracing/Jesus emulating, post-Vatican 2-- pre- Mel Gibson Catholic - the very best kind of Catholic. I find it hard to believe that someone as smart and sophisticated as Colbert could be a 2008 Republican. That would be a mortal sin, enough to turn the milk bottle of his soul black. posted 05/02/2008 at 20:50:41

Bush details $70 billion war funding request for 2009

This takes some heat of Boston, where we're used to hearing that the Big Dig cost an unimaginable 14 BILLLLLION dollars. Now, 14 bil sounds like chump change. posted 05/02/2008 at 18:38:11

Baptist Minister Asks McCain: "Did You Call Your Wife A C**t?" (VIDEO)

What McCain did (does?), humiliating his wife in public with the coarsest of insults is worse than what Bill Clinton did to Hillary. posted 05/02/2008 at 14:01:15

Flashback: Read McCain's 'Mission Accomplished' Iraq Speech

It's not the banner, old man, its the costume and the posing and the speech proclaiming: Major combat operations in Iraq have ended. in the battle for Iraq, America and her allies have prevailed.

It's all the fault of your idol, George and Bar's boy. The thousands of dead Iraqis and Americans and the thousands of maimed and gravely injured in Iraq are Bush's fault too. But now he has you, eager to take the wheel and keep the death and destruction going for another 100 years. posted 05/01/2008 at 15:09:39

Gwyneth Goes Retro: Dons Plunging Jumpsuit At Film Premiere

For anyone who needs to choose a gift for Ms. Paltrow, there are two things she needs, judging by these photos: a sandwich, and a new stylist. Ugliest garment ever. posted 05/02/2008 at 20:26:50

South Pacific -- Musical Orientalism

This is the kind of argument that makes people crazy, the amplification of race issues in a popular entertainment (way ahead of its time in 1949, a tad behind the times in 2008) to something sinister where there was only good will. The show's point, after all, is the evil of racism. If a Pacific Islander playwright had created the show and told a story from Liat's point of view, Liat would have gotten all the good lines, she'd have gotten the 11:00 number, we'd have learned more about Bloody Mary's soul, and Nellie would just be the blonde hick over at the sink holding the shampoo. Instead, we got Nellie's point of view. That's not racism. posted 05/02/2008 at 15:36:11

Hillary Clinton And Bill O'Reilly Square Off On The Factor: Watch Video

Cable news is toxic. Every stinking minute of it. Especially Fox, and especially Bill O'Reilly. It's where washed-up disgruntled former network employees go to nurse their grudges and take their revenge on the world. It's disgraceful that Democratic candidates would validate the Fox propaganda machine by participating in its faux news, analysis and punditry. posted 05/01/2008 at 09:29:17
I wouldn't watch The Bill O'Reilly Show if they were giving out winning lottery numbers. It's the perfect place for a cynical crypto-Republican Democrat to peddle her deceit. posted 05/01/2008 at 08:02:25

Miley Cyrus In The Time 100: A Psychic Profile Penned By Donny Osmond

And 10-year-old girls everywhere ponder the photo of Hannah Montana's afterglow and think about how to make themselves look sexier. Must every childrens' pop culture image be crude and sexual? posted 05/01/2008 at 17:28:15

Hillary Clinton On O'Reilly Factor: Wright's Statements Are Offensive And Outrageous (VIDEO)

Sometimes, the enemy of my enemy is my enemy. posted 04/30/2008 at 16:08:02

James Frey And Nan Talese: Oprah Duped Us!

I watched the day Oprah announced the "memoir" as a book choice, and it was obvious that a life-long (from childhood!) drug addict and alcoholic and occasional convict does not learn to write well and does not look as healthy as James Frey does. Frey was lying and so was Oprah, obvious from the very beginning.

I also watched the day Frey and Talese were fried by Herself. It was obvious that Talese was thrown by the tenor of the conversation and was making up her story as she went along. It seemed that Frey had written a novel and Talese thought it could be better marketed as a memoir, so memoir it was - but of course it really wasn't. Oprah's a savvy businesswoman; she knew. Talese and Oprah were being dishonest. posted 04/30/2008 at 13:01:38

Miley Cyrus' Vanity Fair Shoot: Hollywood Weighs In

Ask a few real humans what they think. This is another bait-and-switch, giving kids a wholesome entertainer to admire then tarting her up with sexuality and hints of incest. By now it's a conventional progression for young stars. Next come breast implants, an eating disorder, a toxic "best friend," drugs and alcohol, rehab, oblivion, where are they now, and a comeback on the carnival circuit. Meanwhile, 10-year-old girls everywhere are looking in the mirror wondering how to make themselves sexy like Hannah Montana. The horror. posted 04/30/2008 at 09:00:30

Obama's Reverend Wright Press Conference (VIDEO)

EXACTLY! We look to TV news to see who they're touting and come away with their point of view burned on our brains, thinking we've decided for ourselves. People decided on Obama because the TV told them it was a historic race between him and Hillary, ignoring the other candidates entirely. We rightly despise Hillary, so Obama it is. Either way, Tim Russert gets a sexy, historic horse in the race, and isn't that what really matters?

If we'd all found news that's not crafted to manipulate and chosen a candidate based on our own analysis instead of Oprah's, John Edwards would be the nominee. posted 04/30/2008 at 07:54:37
Let's do an exercise in the spirit of maturity and clarity. Let's react to this as though it were Hillary's mess. Same overarching issues, same fake media outrage. Here goes:

Are we really supposed to believe that this minister with whom the cynical candidate has a longstanding personal relationship never revealed his thoughts or ideas or the fact that he is a pathological narcissist? Of course the candidate knew all this. So why continue being close to the toxic minister? I'm guessing it was a political calculation, a desire to pick the "right" church. Maybe it was political naivete --- wait, this isn't working. Political naivete? Hillary Clinton? Not in a million years.

Bottom line: we don't know Obama very well, and he doesn't know the political jungle as well as he should. The cries of "not enough experience" come into focus. This is what comes from letting Chris Matthews tell you who you support to be the Democratic nominee instead of deciding for yourself. posted 04/30/2008 at 07:27:26
The best thing is when Tim Russert furrows his brow and tells Matt Lauer, without a trace of irony, that this story just will NOT go away. posted 04/29/2008 at 23:26:39

Brian Williams Decries The NYT, Praises Peggy Noonan

Brian Williams mocking another news organization's coverage of insignificant drivel instead of news takes real chutzpah. On three consecutive nights he devoted segments of his 20-minute broadcast to his new set. A colleague's father's death got two segments on consecutive days. For the past two weeks he's taken the Mormon child rapists story, broken it into dozens of fragments, and broadcast a little each night, painting a picture of religious innocents violated by liberal-minded law enforcement - a minority opinion, thank you-know-who. That leaves 15 minutes for GE advertising - - I mean singing the praises of Patraeus and the catastrophic occupation of Iraq.

The truth is, his feelings were hurt by Elizabeth Edwards's frank and truthful op-ed on Sunday. Once in a great while a sensible article like Mrs. Edwards's sneaks past the goalie and the apologists go into smear mode. Brian Williams is worse than irrelevant; he has a hand in enabling the disasters created by the Bush administration. posted 04/28/2008 at 20:20:32

Gas hits $3.60 a gallon, crude nears $120 on supply outages

Gas doesn't just "hit" higher prices; the prices are raised higher and higher by oil companies. I'd like to see stories about higher gas prices tell us what Exxon's profits were last quarter. posted 04/28/2008 at 22:21:09

MoveOn: Obama Got Outfoxed

My respect for Obama plunges over his agreement to validate the American pravda, Fox News. Shame on him. Hillary's going on Bill O'Reilly's show, but we already have a low opinion of our scheming corporate tool Hillary., so who cares what she does. posted 04/29/2008 at 17:55:07

Topless on TV: The Miley Cyrus / Vanity Fair Saga

I care about this matter, but not a whit about Miley Cyrus, her career, her image, Disney's image, none of it. This only matters in that they created a wildly popular pop-idol for little girls, then sexualized this heretofore wholesome character. I think it's bad parenting to let a kid be in the thrall of any pop star, and especially one that trades on images of being a freshly deflowered 15-year-old who flirts vaguely sexually with her handsome father. It's disgusting. posted 05/04/2008 at 18:18:17

HuffPost Blogger Scoops 60 Minutes

Scalia's charm and brilliance escape me. I see a smug, self-satisfied, contemptible sophist, a tragic character like Colin Powell or Clarence Thomas. Deep religious conviction and absolute certainty about right and wrong have given the world some evil characters, like Bush, Scalia, and the Saudi Arabian terrorists who blew up the World Trade Center. posted 04/28/2008 at 10:20:32

Unearthed: News of the Week the Mainstream Media Forgot to Report

Air America can be heard nationwide on XM radio and through the series of tubes that bring you the internets, and Ring of Fire is their best show. Unfortunately, Ed Schultz occupies prime real estate on the XM channel, but that's why we have NPR. Belzer and company are doing a good job, but let's have Seder every day at 3 and Belzer et.al. in the morning or on the weekend.

As for Siegelman, if a governor doesn't have the power or influence to expose the truth in a trumped-up political trial instigated by assassin Karl Rove, then what chance does any of us have when the thugs come for us? posted 04/28/2008 at 13:29:34

CNN Sued For $1.3 Billion Over Cafferty Remarks

Only 3.5 billion? Why not sue for a hundred zillion squillion? If a guy on TV hurt my feelings by pointing out that the country of my ancestors' origin were putting poison in our food, toiletries and medicines and that they ought not do that, I'd sue for a 100 bazillion dollars. Make that euros. posted 04/25/2008 at 14:48:50

Arianna on ABC's 20/20

Stossel is a vaudevillian. His (tired) act is to contradict unassailable truths with a tone of voice that says am I the only sane one? There seem to be people who think, because a guy on TV says this stuff, it has to be true - just like stuff on the internets. posted 04/25/2008 at 14:43:05

The Self-Loathing Liberal Media

The only mainstream liberal media I'm aware of are Air America Radio and The Nation. There's a syndicated radio show here, a Bill Moyers program there, but that's pretty much it. The newspaper with the jailed Bush co-conspirator on the front page and the head neocon on the op-ed page is hardly liberal. The Washington Post and its retinue of apologists for the authoritarian neocons couldn't be less liberal. And CNN, the second most reviled name in cable news has no discernable reason to exist. posted 04/24/2008 at 20:13:36

Whoopi: "Part Of Me Wants Mccain To Win"

What a foolish thing to say, as though Iraq were the only disaster created by the Republicans; as though McCain would "clean up" Bush's catastrophes rather than add to them; as though there weren't more of our rights on the line through more corporate-tool Supreme Court nominees; as though we could tolerate fewer jobs and higher oil and food prices and foreclosures and no health care and the move toward theocracy and contempt for science and the obliteration of the middle class and lower taxes for the rich offset by higher taxes for the rest of us; as though McCain were as honorable as the TV news channels constantly say he is ( he's not); as though we can survive having all our news reported by the same two or three venal billionaires; as though we want to have an authoritarian government that spies on and tortures prisoners, suspects, and our fellow Americans for an Orwellian idea of peace and freedom.

The Republican "messes" weren't accidents. They were all planned, and efficiently executed. What most of us see as a mess they see as success.

People should take "that little part of them" that wants McCain to win and drown it in the bathtub, to borrow one of the neocons' creepier metaphors. posted 04/24/2008 at 12:57:42

Thomas Friedman Gets A Pie In The Face During Speech At Brown

I disagree. Violence is a failure of the imagination. posted 04/23/2008 at 19:43:07
Friedman is one of the bad guys, but throwing something at another person - even a silly pie-like plate of cream - is a crappy thing to do. It's violent and it's always wrong. Something bigger, more humiliating to Friedman but non-violent would have been more enjoyable. posted 04/23/2008 at 15:40:54

New York Times Blames Hillary For "Mean, Vacuous, Desperate" Campaign

Tim Russert, IMHO, is the worst of all the media hacks, Fox included, because he does his dishonest hackery while pretending to be serious and respectable - check out that perpetually furrowed brow - and people fall for it. In that way he's the Colin Powell of TV news analysis. He's nothing but a horserace announcer with a gift for the gotcha!, the staple of roller derby politics.

I think we have Clinton and Obama as the last two Dems standing because the networks and cable channels herded us in their direction so they'd have an "historic" candidate to hook their vacuous panel show fake analysis on. Whoever the Democratic candidate turns out to be, they'll be flayed by TV news because the networks are determined to make their "maverick" the president. And the sheep will follow.

If people would stop watching we'd have a more thoughtful and well-informed populace. posted 04/23/2008 at 09:17:52
A mean, vacuous, desperate campaign is nothing without mean, vacuous, desperate voters. What does it say about us that the candidate with the most effective smear campaign usually wins. I think it's because people are used to Tim Russert and cable news having reduced politics to roller derby, where all you need is aggressiveness and sharp elbows score points and make the crowd cheer. posted 04/23/2008 at 08:18:29

Pat Buchanan Tells Rachel Maddow To "Hold The Marxist Dialectic"

I hate seeing Rachel Maddow on these clips. These forums are beneath her. Being a smart and articulate liberal - rarely ever seen on TV outside Bill Maher's show - she's subjected to condescending remarks, called a communist or walked-out on because she's the only person there whose arguments are reasoned and honest. The right's most effective argument against reason are the words "shut up!" posted 04/23/2008 at 08:38:32

Hillary's Next Must-Win: Indiana

We've had the crabcake primary, and the cheese-steak primary - what will Indiana give us, the fried twinkie primary? posted 04/23/2008 at 11:32:27

Are Journalists Enabling the Obama Phenomenon?

The media aren't enabling the Obama phenomenon. They created it, and continue to feed it. Americans who stare at the TV waiting for The News or Oprah to tell them what to think voted for Obama or for Clinton - a candidate nobody knows and a candidate nobody likes. Why do you think GE would want a weak Democratic candidate? I think I know why. posted 04/22/2008 at 14:12:55

Tony Snow Joins CNN As Political Contributor

Pundits, even the retired generals, are bought and paid for by the White House. What possible difference could it make if Tony Snow were a pundit for a horrible outfit like CNN or any other fake news org. Shame on anyone who watches. posted 04/22/2008 at 21:17:43
CNN=MSNBC=FOX=the networks. None is worth watching. Don't watch. posted 04/21/2008 at 16:39:00

Whoops! Ann Curry Tosses To Katie Couric On "Today"

Brian Williams devoted a few minutes, two nights in a row, to paying tribute to Ann Curry's father. WTF? posted 04/21/2008 at 10:57:19

White House challenges release of visitor logs

Is "visitor log" the Secret Service code name for James Guckert aka Jeff Gannon? posted 04/21/2008 at 10:55:10

Russert v. ABC: Steel Cage Stupidity Death Match

I have a magic trick. Anyone can do it. Stop watching Russert or cable news, and they go away. Poof! The sun comes out. Birds sing. Shackles are broken. Try it. It works. posted 04/21/2008 at 11:21:58

White Men

The media tried to make this a contest about gender, race AND religion, but they couldn't close the deal on the Mormon. But we cheerily agreed to be led to Hillary and Obama, two not-so-great candidates guaranteed to give Russert something sexy to talk about for months to come, and to give crazy-old-man McCain a chance to actually win. Score another one for GE. posted 04/21/2008 at 13:31:04

Undecided superdelegates don't feel bound by primaries

I too think it's wrong for Deval Patrick and others from HIllary states to ignore the will of the people and vote for Obama, and that it's wrong for them to let personal loyalties trump loyalty to the voters. posted 04/21/2008 at 08:04:58

Roger Mudd's Revenge

Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert are not faux pundits, exactly. They are satirists. Stewart ironically calls his show fake news, but it's a comedy show that happens to be truer and more insightful than anything on network or cable news. Bill O'Reilly - now THAT'S a faux pundit. Russert is a faux incisive questioner. Katie Couric is a faux news anchor. The presidential debates are faux presidential debates. Everything about ABC News is faux. As Michael Moore said when accepting his Oscar, these are fictitious times. posted 04/21/2008 at 12:28:37

Gingrich: Left Wing Of The Democratic Party "Admires" American Terrorists

Timothy McVeigh, Eric Rudolph, leaders of religious sex-with-minors cults in Texas and Boston, gun nuts and murderous militia men and the rest of the American terrorists have something in common besides fear of sex, bed-wetting and tiny bits. None is or was a Democrat. They are the bread and butter of the Republican Party, the embodiment of American conservatism. They are the reason Bob Barr champions the Bill of Rights, to protect the Republican constituency of terrorists and murderers, because one day those anti-terrr laws the White House is illegally enacting will come back to haunt them. posted 04/20/2008 at 08:45:53

Clinton Slams Democratic Activists At Private Fundraiser

Loving MoveOn.org. Would have supported Hillary if not for the calculated, cynical, careerist, corporatist voting record in the Senate that helped lead us into disaster. She had to either lack wisdom or scruples to vote as she has, and either way she loses. posted 04/19/2008 at 16:33:32

Mainstream Media Mainlining

I used to watch hours of TV news and comment until I realized I was wasting my time on that manipulative drivel. I haven't watched in years, and judging by the clips here on Huffpo it gets worse every day. Just don't watch. Get news from real - non-network/non-cable - sources. Don't let the likes of Charlie Gibson tell you what you think. posted 04/19/2008 at 08:44:05

Richard Engel Named NBC News Chief Foreign Correspondent

I can tell you what General Electric's next report from Iraq will be, and the next one after that, and the next one after that. Engel will be standing next to a field of dead bodies - this is TV after all - telling us that everything in Iraq is swell. Cut to laughing Iraqi children playing soccer; cut to laughing Iraqi children greeting an American soldier as though he were Santa Claus. He'll tell us about a newly built school, or a hospital. He'll tell us that, the field of dead bodies notwithstanding, the surge is working. Then a report on how it feels to be a reporter in Iraq. Everything serves the narrative that our occupation of Iraq, while not quite perfect yet, is like our presence in Germany or Japan. And they all lived happily ever after. posted 04/19/2008 at 08:10:55

Nash McCabe: Obama's Flag Pin Questioner

This extra-chromosomer gets a vote equal to all of our votes. Or is she a plant, maybe another prostitute posing as an inquisitive pinhead. posted 04/18/2008 at 18:07:13

Joe Scarborough Walks Off MSNBC's "Race To The White House" After Exchange With Rachel Maddow

This isn't a news show, it's a trash heap. Rachel Maddow isn't a news woman, she's a radio talk show host. She's supposed to have a point of view. There's nothing wrong with her picking a side and advocating for it. Kudos to Maddow for being articulate and agile against these bullies, but cable news shows are beneath her.

Sneer "bias" over Charlie Gibson and Katie Couric and Brian Williams and the rest of the McCain-loving sycophants. (Maybe it's the same daddy thing that made them all drool for Rumsfeld.) posted 04/18/2008 at 08:43:47
Even after watching a short clip like this I feel dirty. How on earth do people watch this cable news crap day in and day out. They are the people who don't know that last night's "debate" was a disgrace because they're used to watching crap like this. posted 04/17/2008 at 21:01:34

Gypsy and Patti LuPone -- A True Diva Moment

I hope I get to see this Gypsy. I'm in the minority on this but I think Rosalind Russell was perfect in the movie, even with dubbed singing. I think all the principals in the movie were perfect - except Natalie Wood. I didn't love Tyne Daly as Rose because she really isn't a singer and on stage, that matters. I think I would have loved Lansbury, but not so much Peters. Rose has to be a self-absorbed monster, and I don't see monster coming from Bernadette Peters. You know who could be the best of them all? Christine Ebersole. Her playing complicated/crazy in Grey Gardens was one of the best things I've ever seen. posted 04/19/2008 at 17:07:52

Polygamist Sects: A Further Lesson In Style

Check out NBC's coverage of this story. Every day the polygamist child molesters are edged more into the victim role and the government is cast as over-aggressive villains. Maybe they made a deal in exchange for its creepy daily segments on The Toady Show. posted 04/17/2008 at 18:36:21

ABC Debate: High Ratings, Critics Give Broadcast Poor Reviews

We're lucky they didn't try to make a scandal of Obama's having fathered two black children. posted 04/17/2008 at 22:06:20

ABC Hosts Heckled After Debate: "The Crowd Is Turning On Me"

The first line of Stephanopoulos's obituary may one day read "Tiny, disgraced imitation newsman/debate moderator dies again." The media world may be even more insular and clueless than the world of Washington politics. I think politicians, for the most part, know how corrupt the game is. The media are so entirely self-deluded they don't know how horrible they are. posted 04/17/2008 at 16:33:48

Clinton emphatically says Obama can win White House

Is it a sign of mental illness that people keep watching the Republican propaganda channel ABC expecting a different outcome? posted 04/17/2008 at 07:34:43

Maria Shriver Talks To Oprah About Being First Lady: "I Cried A Lot... I Still Cry"

Poor little rich girl. posted 04/17/2008 at 09:14:56

Virginia Tech: One Year Later

"If only those students had guns, one of them could have shot the assassin and the disaster would have been prevented." We've heard this a million times.

What do you think, they want to spot-arm selected classrooms or supermarkets or kindergartens? If you want to be armed and ready for the john wayne scenario whereever evildoers roam, that would require every person, everywhere, to be armed and ready. Duck! posted 04/16/2008 at 17:47:13

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